Tempo went down after equaliser, admits Kerala Blasters assistant coach Frank Dauwen

The tactician talked about the several players missing due to injuries and suspensions.

Kerala Blasters FC failed to win their Indian Super League 2023-24 contest against NorthEast United after drawing the game by a 1-1 scoreline at the JLN Stadium in Kochi on Saturday. The side had to chase the game for a long period after conceding an early goal from the visitors.

Frank Dauwen, the Assistant Coach, spoke about his team’s character in levelling the game but lamented the fact that his side could not go all the way and secure the winning goal. He also presented his opinion on the ban received by Prabir Das along with his overall analysis of the game in the post-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts:

Analysis

Frank Dauwen talked about responding well to the early goal conceded by his team. However, he was disappointed by the fact that his team was unable to secure the win after scoring the equaliser. He said, “I think we started the first half of the game well but their first direct chance led to a goal. It was a little bit unlucky. Reaction after that was good, we had pressure on the ball and made good runs in the offensive third but were unlucky in some moments, such as hitting the post on two occasions. Post the equaliser, the tempo went down and I am not sure what was the reason for that.”

Things to work on

The tactician indicated that work needs to be done in polishing the final third movement in order to score more goals. He said, “We need to work on some things in offence. I think the goal in the first half that we gave away was an individual moment from the striker of NorthEast United but defensively overall we played a good game. Post the 1-1, I thought we could have gone further on the tempo but it went down. We have to continue working on offensive movements in the last third of the field.”

Have to accept the ban

Frank Dauwen talked about the unavailable defensive players due to injuries and suspensions. He was of the opinion that the club must learn and accept the decisions. He said, “We have to accept it. Milos’ (Drincic) reaction during the game was wrong, we know that and must deal with it better. Prabir Das, who did not do anything and was protecting our player, gets a three-game ban which I cannot believe but have to accept and learn from this situation. We missed five players in the back but I am happy with the replacements like Sandeep Singh and Hormipam Ruivah who played for the first time this season.”